Privacy, Surveillance, and the New Media You

Edward Lee Lamoureux, Ph.D. Professor in the Department of Communications and the Department of Interactive Media, recently published his new book, Privacy, Surveillance, and the New Media You.

Concerned with the problematic data management in the U.S.A., this book critically examines current and evolving threats to personal privacy, particularly focusing on the failure of existing new media systems to protect individuals, businesses, and society at-large.

“New media never works in isolation,” said Lamoureux. “And it just so happens that right now, the way these industries and the government have gotten together, because of 9/11 and some other issues, it’s all turned against everyday people out of their awareness. It’s dangerous to our democracy. At that point it became really important to me.”

In a world of ever-increasing surveillance and data mining, Lamoureux’s text explores the impact an individual’s data outputs can have on their everyday life and security, especially the ways that third parties use personal data without the individual’s knowledge.

“These aspects have exploded and developed in such a way that we are, in actual fact, putting democracy at risk with our everyday behaviors,” explained Lamoureux.

The book, which is geared for general audiences and students, explains the complex interrelationships among the government, private industry, and the data marketplace.

“The data management landscape is pretty complicated,” quipped Lamoureux. “So I wrote a book and I teach a class.”